76-Year-Old Worker Dies During Physical Test... Family Sues Jangseong County

"Test Forced Without an Ambulance"
Key Issue: Responsibility for Poor Safety Management

A 76-year-old worker collapsed during a physical fitness test. There was neither an ambulance nor emergency equipment at the site. The bereaved family has filed a lawsuit against the local government, stating, "A site with no sense of responsibility led to death."

The Gwangju-Jeonnam Occupational Safety and Health Watchdog announced on the 24th that the family of Mr. Yoo (76), who died during the recruitment physical fitness test for the wildfire response team, has filed a damages lawsuit against Jangseong County, Jeollanam-do. The family submitted the complaint to the Gwangju District Court on the 21st.

Ambulance. Photo by Asia Economy DB

On January 21, Mr. Yoo participated in the wildfire response team recruitment physical fitness test held at the riverside park in Jangseong County. He collapsed and died immediately after completing the test. However, there was no ambulance or emergency equipment such as an automated external defibrillator (AED) at the site; only one nurse was on standby.

The Occupational Safety Watchdog criticized, "There was no ambulance or emergency equipment at the site, and the test was conducted without any warm-up exercises," adding, "This is a site where even basic safety measures collapsed during a test for elderly workers." They further pointed out, "The response after the accident was also delayed, which is a clear violation of safety management obligations."

Kim Sungjin, attorney for the bereaved family, stated, "This was a death that could have been prevented if Jangseong County had prepared adequately in advance," adding, "Through this lawsuit, we will hold Jangseong County accountable and work to ensure that such accidents do not happen again."

Meanwhile, according to the Korea Forest Service guidelines, an ambulance, emergency medical personnel, and emergency equipment must be deployed at the physical fitness test site. It is reported that Mr. Yoo sat down on the stairs during the test but forced himself to finish, and ultimately collapsed, not receiving emergency treatment for nearly 14 minutes.